Locomotive gear transmission



May 25, 1937. H. c. BEHRENS 2,081,846

LOCOMOTIVE GEAR TRANSMISSION Filed Nov. 14, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheetl INVENTOR.

erberf C Behrens y 25, 7- H. c. B EHRENS" I 2,081,846

LOCOMOTIVE GEAR TRANSMISSION Filed Nov. 14, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR May 25, 1937. Hf C. BEHR-ENS 2,083,346

LOCOMOTIVE GEAR TRANSMISSION I Filed Nov; '14, 11934 4 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ENVENTOR v Patented May 25, 1937 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE GEA TRANSMISSION Herbert G. Behrens. Woodlyn, Pa. Application November 14, 1934, Serial No. 753,015

8 Claims. -(o1. 74-327) This invention'relates generally to an improved gear transmission and more particularly to an improved constant mesh transverse type locomotive transmission.

I Usual types of change'speed gear transmissions for internal combustion engine driven locomotives have certain deficiencies in that they are excessively large, cumbersome in operation and high in manufacturing cost. It is an object of my present invention to provide an improved transmission that overcomes the foregoing objections and hence is particularly adapted for use in locomotives. Further and more specific objects are to utilize, in combination with my improved arrangement, forward and reverse bevel gears placed directly at power input so as to maintain a constant peripheral speed of said bevel gears regardless of the gear in which the transmission may be operating or the gear ratio; to obtain a complete and convenient adjustment between the bevel driving pinion and' the two bevel driven gears with which said pinion constantly meshes; to obtain a wide series of reduction ratios by an improved arrangement permitting various bevel gear combinations or sprocket combinations to be inserted without the necessity of completely dismantling. the transmission case or of disturbing the change speed gear or shifting gear combinations; to reduce the peripheral speed of all change speed gear trains to allow an easier entrance in the engaging or shifting of the shifting gears or shifting clutches caused by aerated lubricant; to place the gear assemblies in a transverse position to the locomotive and thereby secure a gear train rotation in line with the travel of the locomotive; and to obtain a more compact unit together with simplified machining and manufacturing operations.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which: r

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a transmission casing; Fig. 2 is a front view of the casing looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Pig. 1:

Fig. 3 is 'a side view of the casing looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; I

Fig. 6 is a sectional view.taken substantially on the angular line 6-6 of Fig. 4 and developed on to a plane.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention which is shown herein merely for the purpose of disclosing. o'ne specific form among possible others that the invention might take in practice, I have provided four speeds forward and reverse together with certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be First speed-Forward.Power from any suitconnect shaft II with pinion 9 whereupon power is transmitted through gear 9, shaft H, a pinion M keyed to shaft II and a gear l5 which is normally idly journalled on a transverse shaft" it but adapted to be connected thereto by a shiftable clutch element l1. Rotation of shaft l6 drives a gear cluster including a bull pinion I 8. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this pinion is in constant mesh with a bull gear I 9 which is keyed to a transverse power take-off or driven shaft 20 specifically shown as having two sprockets 2| and 22 to transmit power to a locomotive axle through chains, although it will of course be understood that shaft 20 may be connected in any other desired manner with any element to be ultimately and a gear 24 which is normally idly Journalled on shaft I6 but adapted to be connected thereto by a shiftable clutch element 25 (clutch element 'Il having been disconnected from gear. ii) to drive shaft l6 and bull pinion it and thus rotate l8 and bull gear l9 and shaft 28 at a still greater speed than for first and second speed.

Fourth speed-Forward.-Power is transmitted from a bevel pinion 8 to bevel gear 9 and thence through shaft ll, gears 23, 24 and 26 and shaft 21 which is connected to a gear 3| by a shiftable clutch element 29. Gear 3i meshes with a pinion 32, of the gear cluster to drive bull pinion l8 and bull gear l9 together with sprocket shaft 20 at the highest speed.

Reverse-All of the foregoing gear trains may be driven in a reserve direction by connecting clutch element I2 with bevel gear l0 whereupon shaft H and the various gear trains are driven in the reverse direction.

'Structure.'To suitably journal or support various of the foregoing elements and to shift the clutches so as to obtain coordinated operation thereof and to permit various of the beforementioned results to'be accomplished, I have provided several novel features. It will be noted that shaft 1 is journalled preferably in tapered roller bearings 35 and 36 which are supported in an axially movable sleeve 31, this sleeve in turn being supported in a bearing housing 38 split along a plane indicated at 39in Fig. 4 whereby the upper half of bearing housing 38 is formed in an upper section 40 of a gear case generally indicated at 4| and the lower half 42 of the bearing housing is formed as part of an intermediate section 43. Sleeve 31 has its outer end threaded as at 44 to receive a flange nut 45. This nut being in the .nature of an annular flange is adapted to be screwed to bearing housing 38 by bolts 46. A stud 41 is threaded into bearing housing 38 and enters a suitable size recess or'opening 48 in bearing sleeve 31. If desired, a suitable lubricating fixture 49 may be mounted in stud 41 to supply lubricant or grease to the roller bearings. Also a usual bearing cap or grease retainer 50 is removably secured to sleeve 31 by screws or other suitable means.

As a result of the foregoing construction, I am able to effect adjustment of bevel pinion 8 with respect to the bevel gears 9 and III. For instance, to move pinion 8 inwardly, bolts 48 are first removed and flange nut 45 is screwed outwardly on sleeve 31 to the desired extent of adjustment whereby upon replacing and tightening bolts 46, flange nut 45 is drawn against the flange of hearing housing 38 and at the same time sleeve 31, shaft 1 and pinion 8 are shifted inwardly. On the other hand, to adjust pinion 8 outwardly, flange nut 45 is screwed inwardly on sleeve31 so as to more the same in an outward direction, bolts 45 being initially removed and then replaced It will, of course be understood that bearings 35 and 36 and shaft 1 have a fixed axial relation to each other as maybe accomplished in any usual manner including-if desired a nut 51.

Bevel gear 9-is supported on a bearing sleeve v .54 in. turn preferably journalled on a pair of roller bearings and 56 which are mounted on shaft H. A shim 51 interposed between gear 9 and a suitable holding flange of sleeve 54 permits independent axial adjustment of the gear if desired while a shim 58 interposed between the end of sleeve 54 and a bearing cover 59 permits ad justment of the tapered roller bearings 55 and 56. Bevel gear 9 is provided with internal clutch teeth 60 for engagement with complementary teeth of clutch l2, the clutch teeth being specifically in the form of gear teeth. A similar construction is employed with bevel gear l8 and its bearing arrangement, and hence the same need not be further described. Such a complementary internal and external gear tooth clutch may be 'used if desired for the other clutches herein deand 69. These bearings are also supported in, bearing caps 10 and 1| which are received within openings in the gear case disposed in openings formed between the gear case sections 40 and 43 along the plane 39.

The transverse bull pinion shaft 86 is similarly journalled in bearings 12 and 13 which are supported in bearing caps 14 and 15. These caps, however, are received in openings formed between gear case section 43 and a lower gear case section 16, the bearing openings being split along a plane indicated at 11. The caps in all instances are held to the gear case by screw bolts such as 66.

The sprocket shaft 28 as shown in Fig. 5 is journalled in bearings 18 and 19, these hearings being supported in bearing caps and BI disposed within suitable casing openings formed between gear case section, 16 and a lowermost case section 83. This lower case section is relatively narrow and is provided with flanges 84 to support the transmission on a locomotive bed or frame or other desired member.

As seen in the 'vertical cross-section of Fig. 4, the three transverse speed reducing shafts ll, l6 and 21 are arranged in triangular form and are all disposed above the power take-off shaft 20, these two features being highly conducive to a compact andrigid transmission without any sacrifice'of operating efliciency.

The shifting mechanism for the various clutch elements includes as shown in Figs. 4 and 6 a lever 86 pivotally supported in a suitable bracket 81 and extending into the gear case through -a suitable cover 88. The forked end of the lever straddles a shaft 89 and engages a pin 90 extending transversely thereof as shown more fully in the developed view of Fig. 6. Rod 89 has an arm 91 secured thereto and riding in a groove 92 of clutch l2. Hence by shifting lever 86 in a single plane, clutch 12 may connect shaft II to either one of bevel gears 9 or In.

To shift clutches l1 and 25 and to retain the same in a fixed'axial relation so that both may be in va neutral position or one or the other engaged with gear l5 or 24, I provide as shown in .Figs. 4 and 5 a shaft 94 suitably supported in the gear case.- This shaft has secured thereto a pair of arms 95fand 96 which are further held in fixed relation by a cross member 91. The inner ends of arms 95 and 96 have usual shifter fingers in grooves 90 and 99 of clutches I] and 25 respectively. Another shifting shaft- I as shown in Fig. 4 has secured thereto a shifter arm IOI supported'in a ball and socket joint I02 whereby the lower end of lever I03 may be moved'laterally into one or the other of suitablecomplementary recesses I04 or I05 formed in shifting blocks I06 and I01 which are secured to shafts I00 and 90 respectively. The clutch arms MI and 86 must be in their neutral position in order to permit the lower end I00 of the shifting lever to bes'electively disposed in one or the other of recesses I04 or I05. After either block I05 or I0! is shifted from its neutral position, its recess will be out of register with the recess of the other block, thus preventing lever I03 from operating the other clutch elements. While one specific form of selective gear shift has been thus disclosed, it will of course be understood that any other conventional gear shift may be employed. Any suitable detent mechanism generally indicated at I08, Fig. 5, may be employed to maintain the clutch shifting shafts in their variouspositions.

From the foregoing disclosure it is seen that I have provided a constant mesh transverse transmission that is especially adapted for application to internal combustion engine locomotives and that my improved transmission permits effective adjustment for the various parts and various reduction ratios to be made by inserting different bevel gear combinations or sprocket combinations in the gear case without themcessity of completely dismantling the-same or of disturbing the shifting gear combinations. Also as a result of reducing the peripheral speed of aerating of the lubricant.

all change speed gear trains, easier entrance in the engaging and shifting of the clutches is permitted and as a further result of the reduced peripheral speed, better lubrication is effected due to the absence of whipping, churning or assemblies in a transverse position to the locomotive, I am able to secure a gear train rotation in line with the travel of the locomotive and to obtain a more compact unit together with its simplified machining and assembling operations. Also the transmission case with its multiple sections assumes an approximate cubical likeness and shape thereby imparting a high degree of strength and rigidity as is particularly apparent from the exterior views shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

All of the foregoing features result in a transmission of comparative simplicity, strength and effectiveness of operation and have materially reduced the cost of manufacture over that of other types of transmission used under similar circumstances in internal combustion engine locomotives where severe service conditions demand the utmost strength and durability. Compactness is also obtained as it not only contributes to cheapness but to saving of weight of the locomotive and space therein.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

By placing the gear 1. A change speed gear transmission comprising, in combination, a gear case, a longitudinal driving shaft having a bevel pinion, a transverse shaft having idly journalled thereon a pair of opposed bevel gears constantly meshing with said pinion, a clutch for alternatively connecting said bevel gears to its shaft, a transverse shaft having a bull pinion, a gear secured to said bevel gear shaft, a gear idly journalled on said bull pinion shaft and meshing with said latter gear, a clutch operable in either direction of rotation for connecting said bull pinion shaft to said gear which.

is idly journalled thereon, and a. power take-off shafthavingabull gear 'mesh'ingwith said bull pinion.".-.

2. A change speed gear transmission comprising, in combination, a gear case, a longitudinal driving shaft having a bevel pinion, a transverse shaft having idly journalled thereon a pair of opposed bevel gears constantly meshing with said pinion, a clutch .for alternatively connecting said bevel gears to its shaft, a transverse shaft having a bullpinion, a gear secured'to said bevel gear shaft, a gear idly journalled on said bull pinion shaft and meshing with said latter gear, a clutch for connecting said bull pinion shaft to the gear which-is idly, journalled thereon, a power takeoff shaft having a bull gear meshing with said bull pinion, a third transverse shaft provided with a gearmeshing with said idly journalled gear on the bull pinion shaft and also provided withan idly journalled gear meshing with another gear on the bull pinion shaft, and a clutch adapted to connect said third transverse shaft to the gear idly journalled thereon.

3. A speed change gear transmission comprising a gear case, a plurality ofparallel shafts one of which receives power input' and another of which has a bull pinion, a pair of gears secured to said power input shaft, a pair of gears respectively meshing therewith and idly journalled on said bull pinion shaft, a pair of clutches associated with said bull pinion shaft and maintained in fixed axial relation with respect to each other whereby both of said clutches may be simultaneously placed in a neutral position or they may alternatively connect the bull pinion shaft to one or the other of the gears idly journalled thereon, an intermediateshaft'disposed parallel to said bull pinion and power input shafts, a gear secured to said intermediate shaft and constantly meshing with one of the idly journalled gears on the bull pinion shaft, a gear cluster associated with the bull pinion on its shaft including a pair of speed reducing gears, a pair of gears idly journalled on said intermediate shaft constantly meshing with said reducing gears of the gear cluster, and clutch mechanism adapted to alternatively connect said intermediate shaft to one or the other of the gears idly journalled thereon.

4. A speed change gear transmission compris-' ing, in combination, a gear case, a longitudinal driving shaft having a bevel pinion, a transverse shaft having a bevel gear driven by said pinion,

another transverse shaft having a. bull pinion,

shaft therefor, an idler gear on said bull pinion shaft driven by said bevel gear shaft, 2. third shaft having a gear meshing with said idler gear, and another gear on said third shaft for driving said bull pinion shaft.

6. A change speed gear transmission comprising, in combination, a gear case, a longitudinal driving shaft having a bevel pinion, a bevel gear shaft driven by said pinion, a bull pinion and shaft therefor, an idler gear on said bull pinion shaft driven by said bevel gear shaft, a third shaft having a gear meshing with said idler gear, and a pair of other gears on said third shaft adapted to alternatively drive said bull pinion shaft.

'1. A change speed gear transmission comprising, in combination, a gear case, longitudinal driving shaft having a bevel pinion, a transverse bevei gear shaft driven by said pinion, a trans .verse bull pinion shaft, means for driving said bull pinion shaft directly from said bevel gear shaft for first speed operation, means for'driving said bull pinion shaft directly from said bevel gear shaft for second speed operation, a trans- 7 verse intermediate shaft, means for driving said intermediate shaft from said bevel gear shaft,

HERBERT. C. IBEWNS. 

